[Vision2020] Noble acquitted on all counts Colfax (Update)

[Tom Hansen]

Courtesy of today's (May 6, 2010) Moscow-Pullman Daily News.

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Noble acquitted on all counts Colfax
Moscow man ruled temporarily insane at the time of incident
By Sarah Mason Daily News staff writer

Dan Noble, a 31-year-old Moscow man, was acquitted of two counts of
vehicular assault and two counts of hit-and-run in Whitman County Superior
Court on Wednesday.

Judge David Frazier ruled Noble was temporarily insane during the Dec. 7
incident in which he ran over two Washington State University students
with his car on the WSU campus in Pullman.

Randall Riggs, a doctor at Eastern State Hospital who treated Noble for
two months, testified via phone Wednesday that Noble suffered a rare
episode of delirious mania during the event and for about two months
following the December collision.

Because of this mania, Frazier found Noble was not legally responsible for
his actions when he hit the two students and ran away from his car on
WSU's campus.

"My heart goes out to the people who've been injured here, but the law is
clear," Frazier said.

The conditions of Noble's acquittal are still being hammered out, but
Frazier ruled Noble posed a substantial threat to the community. Frazier
said Noble would not be allowed to drive for at least a year and is
required to meet with a representative from the Department of Corrections
on a monthly basis for at least six months.

Frazier required Noble to continue mental therapy with a Gritman Medical
Center psychologist on a weekly basis and said Noble's doctors should
submit reports to the court every month. Noble is banned from consuming
any caffeinated product and taking over-the-counter medicines.

Frazier will review the case in six months to ensure Noble is continuing
with his medical treatment.

Noble testified Wednesday that he remembered Dec. 7 in pieces, and that he
never intended to hurt anyone.

"I would say that I'm sorry that this happened, and I know enough to not
let this happen again," Noble said.

One of the victims, Hogun Hahm, an exchange student, returned to his home
country following the incident, Noble's lawyer Mark Moorer said. The
second, Neil Waldbjorn, moved to his parents' Wenatchee home after
receiving two weeks of treatment at Pullman Regional Hospital. Whitman
County Prosecutor Denis Tracy read a letter from Waldbjorn during the
hearing Wednesday.

"He didn't hurt me for just one day or one month, but for the rest of my
life," Waldbjorn wrote.

A former athlete with a love for working out and running, Waldbjorn still
uses crutches and sometimes a wheelchair to get around.

Both of Waldbjorn's legs and his arm were broken during impact with
Noble's car. Waldbjorn suffered an embolism in his lungs, which doctors
feared would go into his brain.

Doctors inserted metal rods and pins into his legs and, according to his
letter, he was undergoing yet another surgery during Wednesday's hearing.

Tracy also read letters from Waldbjorn's uncle, aunt and mother, Jonette
Waldbjorn.

"None of the bones have been healed," his mother wrote.

The family has been devastated by medical bills, which already total about
$300,000, Jonette Waldbjorn wrote. She estimated the family will have
about $18,000 or $20,000 of out-of-pocket expenses by the end of
Waldbjorn's treatment.

In his letter, Waldbjorn asked the court not to grant Noble's motion for
acquittal, for the safety of community members who could be at risk if
Noble was allowed to resume his life.

In his ruling, Frazier said he took such statements to heart and called
the doctors who testified Wednesday "over-optimistic" about Noble's
stability.

"There could be another event," Frazier said. " This does constitute a
substantial danger to others though I found (the doctors) to be very
optimistic here, perhaps they might be minimizing the risk of harm Mr.
Noble poses to others."

Doctors said Noble was returning to his normal mental state, but Riggs
said the nature of bipolar disorder patients is ever-changing. Even with
medication and continuous therapy, Noble could undergo another manic
episode, Riggs said.

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I am satisfied with this outcome and my faith in the system restored.

Seeya round town, Moscow.

Tom Hansen
Moscow, Idaho

"The Pessimist complains about the wind, the Optimist expects it to change
and the Realist adjusts his sails."

- Unknown